Oh the Kinks, bring back the Kinks.
Fashions come and go all of the time and have always done so. Mainly the purpose is to keep designers in work, and partly to keep the markets alive. It is also a reflection of the zeitgeist of the time. I grew up in the sixties and seventies and was just as conscious of the trends and fashions of the time, even if I could not really afford to indulge in them.
Typically I would wear my hair long, flared cotton trousers called Loons, which were very cheap at the time, a shirt and waistcoat with a cravat, and in the cold weather an a naval trench coat. We all thought we looked wonderful, and at the time most of us thought the same. That was how it was even though we gave no real thought to it. We read the IN things of the time, the International Times, Private Eye, and anything else that could be described as subversive. They were subversive times where the new music and ideas replaced those of our parent's generation. They of course disapproved of all of the changes, and many people at that time left home to be with others who they imagined understood.
The language underwent changes too and many words and expressions remain today. Though calling someone "man" seems to have lost it's impact.
The Hippie culture probably reached a peak in 1968 withe the groundbreaking Woodstock festival and later by the Isle of Wight Festival which probably tripled the population of the Island for a long weekend. Drugs abounded, and transcental experiences were the thing along with psychadelic music and even more outrageous clothes Then many of our generation found that they had to get jobs and begin careers thus the hippie hordes gradually declined.
The punk era was reaction against the music scene at the time. Big stadium bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis and Queen were making a lot of money and leaving up and coming bands behind. Punk was a rejection of this and along with their primitive and not very good music came fashions the included mohican hair cuts, safety pins, zips, leather and a general disregard for any sort of respect. Punk was a revolution, in the same way that Hippie culture was; the main difference being that the former was about peace.
Since then we have had Goths, EMOs and other minor trends but elements of the previous fashions still exist in pockets.
Raves were another rebellion and house music and the like grew and still exists in pockets
Among the young these days we have a huge influence from the Afro Caribbean culture. Rap music, trousers with waistlines hallway down the thigh, gang warfare in the big cities and the carrying of offensive weapons are a cause for some concern.
Not all fashions bring about major shifts in population behaviour, and some are inconsequential. Language is evolving all the time as are trends in its use. It is currently popular to begin a sentence with "So" and to end a sentence with a slight rise in pitch. My guess is that these came from the American culture which seems to export all of its bad trends, almost as a weapon of subversion.
Music seems to have become very bland. Though good bands still exist, much of the pop music is spawned by the reality shows and is designed to make some people wealth in the short time that these acts last. It is the way - instant fame, instant gratification and fast failure.
All of this was prompted by colour supplement views of current "High" fashions which to my eyes anyway, seem rather ridiculous. I cannot imagine any that appear on catwalks today being worn by ordinary people.
Looking back at the Kinks; both their music and their dress seems very old fashioned but I still admire them after all these years.
